Introduction
Securing your website is very crucial to protect it from potential threats and ensure the safety of your visitor’s data. It’s important to know that not only large-scale websites are affected by online threats, small-scale websites too suffer losses when their websites are affected by cyber threats or attacks. Security standards are necessary for both small and large-scale websites respectively. When hosting your website on a Nigerian web hosting platform, there are measures put in place to enhance its security. We are going to cover in this article the most efficient measures to follow to keep your website safe and secure.
How to Secure your website?
Choose a Reputable Web Hosting Provider
Start by selecting a reliable and trusted Nigerian web hosting platform. When choosing a reputable web hosting provider, look for providers who will guarantee:
- Reliability: One of the most crucial aspects of a web hosting provider is reliability. I know you would want your website to be accessible to visitors consistently without experiencing frequent downtime, as a result, WebManager.NG is one of the names that often come up when talking about reliability and security. It has built a reputation for providing reliable hosting services, offering stable server infrastructure and reliable network connectivity.
- Uptime guarantee: Uptime as you know refers to the amount of time your website is operational and accessible to users. Look for providers that offer at least a 99% uptime guarantee to minimize any potential disruptions to your website’s availability. A reputable web hosting provider like WebManager.NG offers that uptime guarantee, ensuring that your website remains online and available to visitors.
- Security measures: Website security is paramount, and a reliable hosting provider should prioritize the protection of your data and the security of your website. Look for features like SSL certificates, firewalls, regular backups, and intrusion detection systems. WebManager.NG offers these features to enable secure browsing for your visitors and implement security measures to protect your website against cyber threats in the Nigerian web hosting platform.
- Customer support
- Scalability
- Reputation, and review
- User-friendly interface
Keep Softwares Up to Date: Regularly update your website’s content management system (CMS), plugins, themes, and any other software you use. Outdated software can have vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit, so it’s important to stay current with the latest security patches and updates.
Use Strong, Unique Passwords: Ensure that you use strong, complex passwords for your website’s admin panel, FTP accounts, and any other login credentials. Avoid using common or easily guessable passwords, and consider using a password manager to generate and store strong passwords securely.
Implement SSL/TLS Encryption: Enable SSL/TLS (Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security) encryption on your website. This ensures that data transmitted between your website and visitors is encrypted, making it difficult for attackers to intercept and decipher the information.
Employ a Web Application Firewall (WAF): A WAF helps protect your website from common web-based attacks, such as cross-site scripting (XSS) and SQL injection. It acts as a barrier between your website and potential threats, filtering out malicious traffic and blocking suspicious activities.
Regularly Backup Website: Perform regular backups of your website and its associated databases. Store the backups securely, preferably on an offsite location or a cloud-based storage service. In case of a security breach or any other issues, having up-to-date backups will allow you to quickly restore your website to a previous, secure state.
Use Secure FTP and SSH Connections: When accessing your website’s files or managing your hosting environment, use secure File Transfer Protocol (FTP) or Secure Shell (SSH) connections. Secure protocols encrypt your data during transmission, preventing unauthorized access.
Limit File and Directory Permissions: Set appropriate file and directory permissions to restrict access to sensitive files or directories. Grant read, write, and execute permissions only to the necessary files and directories, reducing the risk of unauthorized modifications or data breaches.
Implement a Robust User Authentication System: If your website allows user registrations or has an admin panel, ensure that you have a secure user authentication system in place. Implement features such as strong password requirements, account lockouts after multiple failed login attempts, and optional two-factor authentication for added security.
Monitor your Website’s Security: Regularly monitor your website for any suspicious activities or vulnerabilities. Utilize security plugins or services that offer scanning for malware, vulnerabilities, and other potential threats. Set up alerts or notifications to be promptly informed of any security issues.
Utilize Site Lock: SiteLock is a website security service that helps protect websites from various threats, including malware, hacking attempts, and other vulnerabilities.
Major Hosting Packages in Nigeria and the Best Service Providers for them.
We’ve reviewed the common hosting plans and found the best providers out there. Based on the three main hosting plans in Nigeria, (shared, VPS, and dedicated hosting) we provided three recommendations for each of the hosting plans.
Shared Hosting: In a shared hosting scenario, your site is a folder on a server shared by many other sites. Server-level operations and security needs are handled by the host company. It is an economical starting point for sites that don’t need a lot of resources. Due to the nature of the shared hosting plan, it is considered the least secure in the web hosting platform. But the best host service provider will ensure your site is perfectly safe from cyber threats on all web hosting platforms. The Top best include:
- WebManager.NG
- DomainKing.NG
- Whogohost
VPS Hosting: A virtual private server (VPS) is a virtual machine that operates as an autonomous server within a host computer. While multiple customers share the host machine, each virtual server functions independently and is entirely controlled by the customer.
- WebManager.NG
- Smartweb
- Web4Africa.
These three are the leading web host service providers for VPS hosting.
Dedicated Hosting: A dedicated Hosting package implies total control and responsibility for maintaining your server’s hardware, software, and all-around security, although the hosting company offers exclusive server resources, enhanced security, scalability, and flexibility. The three main hosting providers for dedicated hosting are:
- WebManger.NG
- Garanntor
- HostNowNow
Check out the other types of hosting plans in Nigeria and Abroad here
In addition, remember that website security is an ongoing process. Stay vigilant, keep your website updated, and regularly review and enhance your security measures to stay one step ahead of potential threats. However, the utilization of WebManager.NG would immensely contribute not only to security but boost the online presence of your website.
Who is WebManager.NG? WebManager.NG is a well-known web hosting company that offers internet security, hosting services, and domain name registration to individuals, businesses, and organizations’ websites in Nigeria. With WebManager, you can be certain that your website will be secured on all web hosting platforms in Nigeria.
Conclusion
Ensuring the security of your website is essential in protecting it from various threats and safeguarding visitors’ data. Ultimately, prioritizing website security not only protects your own online presence but also establishes trust with your visitors, ensuring a safe and secure browsing experience for everyone who interacts with your website.
